Saturday, September 7, 2013

U12 Girls Youth Soccer in Region 1

These young women have a year of 11 v. 11 under their belts and are ready to show what they can do. Across the 12 states of U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1, there are some impressive club teams who are a lot of fun to watch.

Why would you think the comment would be from a CH parent? And, why would it be a surprise that NJX tied CH and beat Hamilton (Rush)? Rush and CH would have been tied in the state final if it weren't for an unfortunate hand ball which lead to a penalty shot. But, those things happen. These are all top teams. They'll win/lose on any given day to each other. And if an NJX parent is posting the scores, who cares, that is what the blog is for. And we're ALL curious. That's why this blog even exists.

Teams working together, unacceptable!! Don't the girls know this has to be cut-throat and mean. I guess not, the girls actually like each other it's the nutso parents who create drama. Everyone should be happy for each other and encourage one another's success in this great game.

Mind boggling how many girls at this age group play for multiple club teams at the same time. It certainly takes away from any team unity, and cheapens any title these teams "win" with the guest players.

Curious to know - parents are you shopping your kids around like free agents? Anyone offering free tuition? Are they keeping up with school work, or do you think they may be jumping straight ftom high school to national team to pro?

@10:11 am - Don't be a hater. Guest playing just enables some girls more opportunity to better themselves and give them a different playing environment. Most high level teams keep their girls in the same positions which doesn't allow those girls to be overall great players and be able to jump into any position and feel comfortable. My guess, if you change players around on some of these teams, they wouldn't be the same. I can't believe what such negativity is swarming around with some of these parents. It's like parents are getting jealous about other people's children. I just don't get it.

@11:39 am EXACTLY!!! My child told me she wants to play for a top D1 soccer college or she doesn't want to play college soccer. Now who's job is that to allow for multiple opportunities for her individual development in the game? MINE, as her parent. Every decision I've made regarding different opportunities for her development have been well thought out. I've also had several people give me advice regarding my child, which has led to those decisions.

@10:11 my guess is you lost to one of these teams. One player does not make an entire time. @11:39 is on the money. Guest playing allows these players to develop and challenges the players on the guest team to step up their level of play. If your team is competitive, win-loss does not count. If your team can not compete with these teams, i.e. just hold your own, then your team has a lot of work to do. do not blame the one guest that showed up, she just played well.

I am certainly not a hater but a realist. Having gone through the "elite soccer" process with older children, I am blessed with hindsight now and wiser for it. ROFL at the person who wrote that their 11 year old child "kniws now that she wants to play D1 soccer or not at all".. Really? Where is the parenting in this situation? It's parenting ego on display, not parenting skills.

Do us all a favor and go sit through a College Night presentation and hear real life stories about where and how girls are playing soccer at which types of schools. I am sure the egomaniacs on this blog will be completely unaware that most ECNL sophs and juniors are going to visit schools like Tufts, Dartmouth, Bucknell, NYU etc and not Kentucky, Stanford, Texas or Rutgers. There are very real reasons for this, reasons I am not going to list here, just do your child a favor and pull your head out of the stars, and be a parent. Try something different besides ferrying them a different tournament to rack up trophies every single weekend. You will be glad you did, 5 years from now.

Every child has different dreams and aspirations. Nothing wrong in leading your children in the direction where they may be able to fulfill them. When I was a child I had different dreams and aspirations, and I fulfilled them. I will support each one of my children in whatever they aspire to do. And again, stop hating. Every child is different and every top college soccer athlete will have totally different stories in how they made it to where they are.

They're not the best team in the country and def agree with not going by GS points which some parents take a little to seriously. But, you really just don't know any team's circumstances in any tournament/and or game. That goes for any team.

lmfao gfa losing to rec team Monmouth coast back to the drawing board with the best kick ball team money can buy seriously watched game 8 hours a week practice and that's what you put on field thank god I didn't put up the cash tsf was smart pulling away those girls are way off

International Girls Futbol Academy. And they are on the same level as Monmouth Coast. They are both one level below the highest level teams, aren't they? Why would that pretty even score/close game be a surprise?

they really are on same level. there are just some teams who should be in a totally lower flight. it's not fair for teams who play smart, skilled excellent soccer to have no other higher flight to play in against teams that they could lose to. how do these teams get better? hence, this is where ecnl comes into play.

Wish you well, but thats not happening. The north needs to merge a few teams or at least players. Way to many half decent teams. WC can't even compete. This age group dominated by central nj...... All the way south. I can't think of one really decent team in the north? Who am I missing?

7:47pm. You'd be surprised at what happens over a few years. No need to merge teams. We haven't got a powerhouse in NJ, a group of 10 or so teams can beat each other on any given day. And the older they get the more the playing field evens out amongst the top few.

7 pm we are greatful you didn't put up the cash. It's ok. Now you do not have to worry about GFA and can focus on your fantastic team. Wish you the best.( by the way TSF is partner with GFA , they didn't oull off anything, but I guess you want to create trouble so its ok)

"lmfao gfa losing to rec team Monmouth coast back to the drawing board with the best kick ball team money can buy seriously watched game 8 hours a week practice and that's what you put on field thank god I didn't put up the cash tsf was smart pulling away those girls are way off"

Maybe you can use some of the money you saved to take a remedial English class. Preferably one that focuses on punctuation, grammar and usage.

@ "7:47pm. You'd be surprised at what happens over a few years. No need to merge teams. We haven't got a powerhouse in NJ, a group of 10 or so teams can beat each other on any given day. And the older they get the more the playing field evens out amongst the top few."

What does usually happen in Jersey soccer? I don't understand why other states seem to have these real powerhouse teams that will totally outplay our Jersey teams at this age.

The only team at U12 who seems heads and shoulders above everyone else is Cincy Utd. And that is a huge club with good coaching from the very young ages upwards. So my guess is that they have been developing players who are on that team from when they were 6-7-8 years old. Rather than clubs like PDA who just take the better players and don't develop them. I could be wrong but to have a quality team at 12 they must have been together a while and be very proficient in the fundamentals from a young age.

I'm eagerly awaiting the moderator deleting my post as i bad mouthed PDA. Heaven forbid someone can express an opinion on a blog.

Yes, they will be national champions for years to come, as long as the two girls up front stay a foot above the rest for next five years. These girls are way above the rest in maturity. They are huge and I believe would kill PDA too at this age, not to put down PDA like you are trying to do.The Cincy team is good, but all because of these two for now, time will tell. This team will beat any u13 team in nation as well, I was blown away by them this weekend, sucks to play against.

Galaxy played them at Eclipse at the end of summer/beginning of fall and lost 2-0. The Cincy girls are skilled technically as well as athletic. Cincy United was formed from a number of Cincy area soccer clubs so no they did not grow their players from birth. But good for them as they have come out of nowhere to being a great team at this age and can rival OP and OE.

I was talking to one of the Cincy United parents and he said they are all from a 35 minute radius, train 3 times a week, and majority of the team has been developed by the club since day 1 by the same coach.

A lot of those teams in the Ohio area are developed and mature as a team, they still pull the best in the area and will be the ones to watch in the near future.

But when U14/15 hits the landscape completely changes when girls migrate towards teams and clubs with history of getting there child to another level their child wants to play D1 college vs. playing for a team that chases GS rankings or wins at tournaments.

Notice how many U14/15/16 teams in the ECNL league care about GS rankings research it.

@ 9:44 AM That is very very true about the U14 and older teams not caring about GS points. Not only them but even some younger teams as well. Yes, you can easily research it. The teams that will be part of the ecnl aren't even playing against their own age. They don't care about the GS points from being 'champions' at these tournaments right now. They are semi-finalist/finalist at older age groups in tournaments or ranking 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th in leagues playing in older ages. That is what needs to be done for our girls on these top NJ teams. SJEB, RUSH, SDFC, PDA, ect...if teams are 1st/2nd in their EDP 1st division, they should give them the option of playing up in the age above's 1st division.

10:01am Totally agree, this age group in NJ has quality teams and we are very lucky to have this many good teams in one state.

Eventually these teams may or may not exist in 2/3 years but at least the dedicated players/parents have something to look for with the teams that do will exist.

Cincy and OP Fire are great teams developed from the best in the area at young ages hopefully they stick around in the later years but club history has shown their older teams stop competing because players/parents realize it's not about winning a tournament but giving there child an opportunity to play at a even higher level.

Teams could also stay playing in their age appropriate 1st divisions bc next year the top team will qualify for NPL Regions/Nationals ect... They can see if the EDP will allow those top teams play crossover games with the older age top teams to allow for more challenging play. Someone needs to step up and say something. The coaches of these top teams need to come together and push for slight change to allow for more challenging games for the top teams. The teams that are not as strong playing in these 1st divisions are benefiting but what about the teams that always win or tie? Where are they being challenged to push for their development?

I think GS gets to people's heads to much. Look at what Rush did not long ago..went into the blog sites posting their #1 everywhere on GS points and just weeks later it's different. If in another few weeks it changes back does a mass posting go out again? It's crazy at this age, and how can anyone claim to be #1?

RAGE FC PREMIER RENEGADES - - Not even playing full sided soccer yet, but get GS points to rank them #1...craziness. It's probably all about trying to attract attention to their clubs to get players interested in trying out for their teams. But would they really go and drop their weaker players if some of these teams are 'town' teams that had a name put on them? I really doubt that they would.

Can't go by Got Soccer. It's used to assist in certain tournament placements. Look at PDA U13 pre-ECNL, in Got Soccer they are ranked '33rd' Nationally, in Top Drawer they are ranked '3rd'. This is just an example.

Yes, both horrible programs. NJ girls soccer just can't compete. What club are you with? Maybe you guys have it figured out and can save NJ girls soccer. I'm sure with a comment like that your daughter and club have better options.

What an absolutely idiotic comment about Rutgers you clueless clown! You are the single reason what is wrong with youth sports...I can only imagine how pathetic of an athlete you were and what you look like now..

@322. My guess us you have Ax to grind. Your girl didn't make rutgers or PDA. Hope that's working out for you.

Rutgers lost to Virginia. Losing to the best team in the bracket(in my opinion) is not too shabby at all. They played well just could not post them today. I'm proud the state school had a horse in the race.

My daughter played for PDA crush and now plays for Rutgers,she absolutely loves both programs.It will take a few more years for Rutgers to get to the absolute elite level that Virginia is currently at.Having been at the game Friday evening in Charlottesville,I can tell you that they are great.Sunday UVA beat 3rd seed Kentucky 7-0 (and 14th nationally ranked).In my opinion having played Penn State(who we beat 1-0 on the road)and Virginia,the top 5 teams are on a whole other level.Rutgers currently has 2 H.S. all-Americans on their roster,while an old established national power like UVA has multiple,as well as 2 National pool players.Having spent their entire inaugural season in the BIG10 ranked in the top 25 is not too shabby.If it somehow makes you feel better about yourself bad mouthing a bunch of NJ girls competing for their state university at the national level vs. teams with rosters full of girls from all over the state,have at it.My goal for our second daughter is to commit to RU as a freshman and follow in her sisters legacy.You go ahead and set your sights on UVA or UNC for your daughter and let's see what's what in 3 short years from now.While it may be great for a girl like Brittany Radcliffe(NJ girl from Williamstown) to play for UVA,there is a certain amount of pride being known as the Jersey girl who could have gone anywhere(and I mean anywhere) staying home and putting the state university on the map.Our coach will undoubtedly be upset with me for me taking the bait,but he also knows that I won't tolerate any nonsense from people who have no clue.-Joe Tiernan

@ 10:10 Nicely said. I don't think anyone should get upset with you stating anything you wrote. My U12 daughter hopes to play at a great NJ University as well. Never to early to even have it in their minds. She's actually mentioned wanting to play for Princeton one day, and told me she knows that she needs to keep her grades perfect to play there. Even though they won't get as many top players bc they have to be top in their class with their grades but strict Ivy league rules prohibit them from training like Rutgers due to their education requirements. If that is where she wants to try and play later on and can get accepted with grades and to play soccer, then I'd support it.

Was anyone at the IGFA VS SDFC game last night. If so how was ? . I SEEN THAT IGFA BEAT SDFC 2/1 ... heard the IGFA keeper saved some great shots. But like to hear from someone that was there. Thanks .

IGFA - SDFC, same level of play, one can beat the other any given day. I don't think either of those teams could ever dominate or beat some of the other top level teams in other brackets. I do think both teams are nicely coached.

Does anyone know if the FC Virginia team that is playing in EDP's South division 1st bracket, if they are the team that's supposed to be their ecnl team? I don't think that team can even keep up with the NJ NPL/EDP teams.

Joe T. well said, thanks for the input. People should have some loyalty and respect for our NJ girls no matter what team they play for. They work hard even at the u12 age, they also know they want better things down the road in life so for someone to come in here and bash RU or PDA is just to me a disgruntled parent.

Even though my daughter is not on a PDA team she is with a good group of respected players and coach, they are playing at a top level so we should all be happy we have this many good teams in the state of NJ.

I don't think Galaxy players would have to worry. Why would they? If they have ECNL events and there are top players performing well on the other PDA teams, they could easily be pulled to be used at those ECNL events. And I'm sure as they get older, those teams will train together at times and do internal scrimmage festivals. They are probably doing them already. And no, my daughter is not on PDA. I just don't like the bashing of clubs and girls, like you see on here.

I would be a little concerned. Ecnl events only allow a certain number to play and roster. If that spot is being shared by multiple teams and players, then someone loses. And not just minutes but full tournament play. That is concerning for most people. Look forward to the spin on this one.

Multiple teams? It's one club, same age group. It would probably just be a few select girls, not the whole team/s. The girls probably have to work hard to prove they can compete at that level and if needed, like guesting, but not really, because they are all under one same name. You can look up the ECNL rules. Players can move around if under one club name.

Understand 100 percent. Having multiple teams to pull from, even if only a few select from some, will take spots from girls on primary team during key ecnl events. That will be concerning to some. You can't spin this. I get rule and understand why Pda does this, just sucks for many players, but not your daughter of course. Just hope she s top 16 or so, or you will feel the pain. It is what it is....

Joe T - This is just a sincere question, and you don't have to answer. But, do you think your oldest daughter would have had the same leg into RU if her team wouldn't have moved to PDA? I'm assuming she would have been great no matter what. Do you think that joining PDA really brought that team to he next level?

I didn't even come on here to debate ECNL or clubs,I just came on to defend the state university and the numerous NJ girls from various clubs who were being ridiculed.Good luck to everyone and GO RUTGERS!!! the state university of NJ.

Resorting to name-calling means the whole thing is probably a bit true and you're starting to get defensive now. The difference between ODP coaches ect..I believe is that they are not running a club/business to try and stack their rosters with majority of girls that these coaches/DOC are coaching.

I like the 710 poster questions better. Who cares how many times people train in winter. It's bbal season anyway. I will tell you this, stay away from MF and NJX is just a town team as they have always claimed to be.

What is the problem w/ 'town teams'? Most turn to 'academy' level as they get older anyway. If a team is good than they're good. Sometimes it's just a matter of drawing in one or two dedicated talented players to round off rosters, when needed. NJ Rush Hamilton won state cup, and thet are a 'town team'. Is anyone going to say they are not a bunch of talented girls? And what happened with MAPS futsal last year? I haven't heard anything. I know that MatchFit futsal was terrible. They had futsal 'fields' that were too small and aligned the wrong way. Was really bad.

The FC Virginia team playing in the EDP South 1st Division is not their ECNL team. They have a few different teams playing. Their top team like all other ECNL clubs will be their ECNL team and using top players of the other teams most likely if ever needed. Everything is easily researched via the worldwide web.

As long as the majority of the town team's parents are committed and know all well they are shooting for there children to play at a collegiate level then it works all the way to U17.

But the majority outcome around the hitting the U14 to U15 age is when the 2 to 4 girls/boys from that move on to playing with a club team to help showcase themselves, while there teammates stay and play for social activities at there town level.

I've never seen a entire town team committed to U16/17 and all play at a high level. If you research the high level tournaments like this past Bethesda you can see at the U15/16/17 age groups you do not see any town teams entering.

If your an exceptional player you will get notice but if your in the middle of the pack player it's better to move to a club/academy team now to assure you have a roster spot and can develop into the team style of play.

It sounds like what is being said is that town teams do not market their players to prospective colleges as well as academy teams do, if they do at all. That's the fault of the town team and not the academy team. Maybe if town teams stepped up they wouldn't lose players.

It's up to the town team's local high school to market prospective colleges and you are correct they do not do this well.

You can stay at your local town team and attend a school like Immaculate Heart Academy rank #1 in girls high school soccer or spend the funds at a club/academy early. Either way you'll end up spending the money if your daughter wants to play collegiately. Even going that way you still end up playing club ball/academy ball.

College soccer is not going to help your girl as much as excelling academically in a marketable major, or spending her time at a focused internship. Rare girl that has the luxury of college being a place to focus on soccer.

2 years from now half of these so called all-star club teams will be gone and half the girls committed to another sport or lose passion.

Just enjoy that your daughter is having fun playing at a high level where the majority of girls on town teams wish they were playing with a PDA, NJ RUSH, SDFC, SJEB, TSF or any other kind of club team like them.

You parents thinking about college soccer already should move there child to U14 team.

Now if your child wants to play soccer at the highest level and she's darn good, and has got the brains academically, nothing wrong with steering them in the right direction now. They've got Kumon for kids starting at the pre-school ages, nothing wrong with letting them excel in a sport at the same time. Every child is different. If they don't have the smarts, well then of course they won't be playing at a top D1 school. All girls on those rosters have to be excelling academically and play some darn good soccer. People making comments like the two above, well..lead your children in the direction that fits best for them. At least I'll grow old having no regrets when it comes to my children and the choices which I help them decide on.

NJ Rush are town teams. They just put the name on a few different town programs throughout Central and South Jersey areas. Look at their webpage. As the teams get older, they just lose the town name altogether. But the players are most likely going to remain the same, with maybe the addition of a few. But to think they'd ever drop girls off of any of their teams, is highly unlikely.

Does anyone have any older children or their children's friends, who have or who are playing at a high level of soccer, and for whatever reason has stopped playing? Injury..lost interest..burnt out?? I'm just curious as to when the landscape starts changing a bit like some have mentioned on this blog before. And if a child does sustain an injury, does it all hold them back or prevent them from playing how they did before the injury because of having the loss of training/play. ect..?

The objective of the PDA Soccer Club is to provide a year-round soccer training program that will develop players to their greatest potential, focusing on top-quality instruction and exposure to the highest levels of competition. The club will form a boys team and a girls team in each of the age groups including Under-11 through Under-19. These teams will compete in premier leagues throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, and will participate in highly competitive tournaments nationwide. It is our goal to offer these players optimal opportunities to gain the recognition that will enable them to achieve continued success as athletes on the country’s top collegiate teams, United States national teams, and/or professional soccer teams.

Looking at how Rutgers was eliminated, can't say this statement is very true. and there was a high school all American from nj who played for matchfit, pda isn't all its cracked up to be.

@1019 good question. My children are too young for the first question. But yes, I have had friends' children who have quit the sport at college to focus on school. Leaving athletic money at the table in three instances.

As to your second question, it depends on the injury and the players resolve. Fractures are usually the easiest to come back from. While tears take rehab and dedication. Christie rampone tore her Acl and came back (quite well)

@11:58 What makes you think that all PDA players go to Rutgers? They are scattered around many TOP colleges. Would Rutgers love to have some of those other players, I'm sure they've tried!! But, when you have players wanting to experience college somewhere else for whatever reason, whether it be - weather, education, family, friends, or what possibly other schools have to offer...it all comes down to the child. Bottom line, PDA is the top academy in NJ and every coach will tell you that, if you ask them to speak to you honestly. They both, draw and create some of the TOP soccer athletes. I've had so many different soccer clubs tell me that when looking for a place for my child who plays some good soccer. Now does every child last at PDA? No. Cause again, every child is different. Maybe they were good when they were younger but not that interested now. And yes, sometimes the parents want to force it, and that might even make the child steer away from it even more. For whatever reason, soccer landscapes change. Do your research. You'll see many TOP soccer college rosters (both in athletics and academics-D1) that have PDA players on them. And no, that's not the only route to get to these schools. But, it's a really nice way to have your child, if she's a top soccer player, play for a team with a bunch of players and parents, on the same wave length, and having fun traveling and competing together. Most TOP schools have more girls from ECNL rosters than not. Google ECNL on youtube. What the whole idea was of this league, is to provide a higher level of play for the girls who are the best of the best. This league wouldn't exist if that were not true and if it wasn't meeting expectations and bringing truth to its existence. It's an unbelievable league with excellent talent.

If all of the top soccer players in nj stayed and played for their state university, Rutgers would win the ncaa championship. It'd be a close call with SoCal teams. Just like all the nj born and raised football players. One nj football player was heavily recruited by Rutgers and chose Ohio State due to what they had to offer plus he was going to Ohio State's football camps since he was 9. And look where that guy is now. A college star, most likely will be drafted into the NFL. So NO ONE could say that 'they're only 12, why are you talking about college'. Wake up people. Life flashes right before our eyes.

Thank you! Someone finally agrees that at 12 yrs old its time to stop coddling these kids. There comes a time when these kids will have to work hard for something; SATs, a job or having to juggle a heavy workload and they won't be prepared. Youth sports is a great avenue for them to learn valuable lessons.

205 ECNL alumni are currently playing in the Big Ten Conference. Nearly 53% of the players in the Big Ten Conference are ECNL alums. There were 58 ECNL alums in the 2014 Big Ten freshman class, the second consecutive year the ECNL was 50% or more of the class. The 2013 Big 10 All-Freshman Team includes eight ECNL alumni, and the 2013 Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year, and Midfielder of the Year are from ECNL clubs.

from: http://eliteclubsnationalleague.com/home/841827.html

Just the Big Ten but if you believe the stat 53% of the players were former ECNL players.

So - little over half - so there is another half that get there without ECNL. It would be interesting to know what the other avenues are and the %'s for each. But clearly playing ECNL is a way to get there - at least in Big Ten and the other confs on the site.

Please enough with the ECNL and talk of college they are 11-12 years old. I bet if you ask your daughter what her major is going to be in college she couldn't even answer that question without thinking it over.

We are still 2 years away for those in 7th grade and 3 years away the 6th graders at U12.

I understand we are trying to give our daughters a path one way or another but let that happen when the time comes at U12 they are still developing technical skills and tactics.

ECNL is a great option to keep that high level of play. Being one of the top 3 NPL teams in the state and top 5 in region 1 is an equal option. As long as your child is playing at a high level, she'll continue to learn the game.

No, ECNL is just an option. If your child plays on one of the high level teams, she's going to get exposure and excellent training. That is probably how they reached that high level to begin with. Great talent plus great training plus great playing atmosphere = growth in the game. And don't forget to credit the parents for dropping everything for their kids, to give them the opportunities to go further. ;-)

I believe they have 3 teams at the age group? With the Holmdel team being the best out of the 3. They aren't realistically a top 10 NJ team. The other 2 consist of a team out of Summit who have a very poor record and the other is their NE NPL team who again have a disappointing record. So... that should tell you all you need to know really.

Rutgers women's soccer just finished ranked 25th in the nation in the final NSCAA poll of the year. A great first season in the BIG10 for the state university with 19 NJ girls on their roster...... from various clubs in the state.

Match Fit is in Pre-ECNL mode similar to PDA is modeling. The 3 teams are setup as supplement teams to feed an ECNL team 2 years from now at U14. Poor records, GS points, winning tourney's and leagues do not mean anything to these clubs at U12.

They are prepping and developing the players to identify and to ask players to join an ECNL team along side with staying within one of the 3 teams they have. Pyramid model, which is a good model knowing that your daughter will always have a chance to perform year round and get called up to an ECNL squad.

Please do the research before making comments of teams having a poor record and saying it should tell you a story, very poor advice. If you want to go the route of joining an ECNL team later in time this is a good way your happy with several of the club teams playing top level NPL this is also a good path. Either way if your daughter is good she will be noticed.

Developing players means an improvement in results as a byproduct. If results worsen then you can only assume that they are not developing as well as the teams around them. That is the case for all 3 MF teams mentioned.

I would be shocked if between those 3 teams 10 or more players will be on their ECNL roster come U14 season. That number will realistically be closer to 5.

All players will improve given time. I have seen many players hit plateaus for a year or 2 and then had a huge development as a player. We all know the other type of player who consistently develops. Not everyone is the same. We are talking about 11-12 year olds, who knows what path they will follow in 2 years time let alone 2 weeks time.

I am also not saying that specific teams don't develop players. But some coaches do it better than others. And a good indication is results from Day 1 in the Fall to the last day in Spring. If results improve in relation to the competition they faced from Fall to Spring then you can safely assume that the coach has developed the players and therefore the team. If results worsen then they have stood still whilst others around them have improved.

These are just my opinions based on previous experiences with other children playing the game over the years. I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts. It's a good topic to discuss.

"How is the U12 Matchfit girls seem to be doing? I know the U13's are doing pretty well. Just figured I'd ask since there was a lot of bashing about Matchfit in past posts...."

Its mid December and you just happened to randomly ask about Match Fit out of concern for the girls. What a great display of humanity. Such kindness. With so much hatred in the world, its wonderful to check on the blog and witness such random acts of kindness.

Development comes in stages, but by far the biggest part of development is through opportunity.

Because physical development is ongoing and can often happen later rather than sooner, all the focus should be on technical training. Sure, teams can rely on the biggest and the fastest kid, but all that tends to even out later and if that one player leaves, the team has not developed much else and then struggles.

There is so much variability at the U9-U13 ages because of physical development. But, if you chase the wins and state cups now, you risk sacrificing long term success from developing an entire team of skilled players.

As you hit U14 and U15, the physical development is most likely over. Kids have been technically trained. Now comes the mental development. Who is complacent and who has the fire? Who is the butterfly? Who has the high soccer IQ? If you try to start teaching kids now about position, it may be too late. Kids may already be so comfortable in positions that may not be suited for them.

Take a small, slow defender. They've played defense since U9. But, after puberty, what if they grow to a decent size and suddenly have decent speed that they could be a talented striker? Conversely, the small, fast strikers that score goals at the early ages, may struggle against bigger, tougher defenders at the older ages. These strikers should perhaps be better suited as a wing back or outside mid, but they've never played there.

A good team will enforce development through technical training and multiple positional play, often at the expense of winning games. Results should not dictate where you want your daughter to play. However, these opportunities may not be readily available.

What's going to happen to NJX Sol? A handful of those girls have a lot of talent and can be very good if trained properly. They have a very fast girl that has a lot of potential when she learns to use her teammates more. Also a very good defender small but will do well anywhere and another small outside mid that sees the field very well.

@ 8:36, Sounds like maybe you are a worried NJX parent? If so, I wouldn't worry at all. NJX is a great team. They play at the highest level and that is what is needed for great development. I wouldn't worry about a thing. Because NJX plays at the highest level, there is always the possibility of luring additional players as well if ever needed. As long as the children have a great, competitive soccer environment, they will all excel. Being under the MatchFit umbrella will have it's benefits. I know, us parents, sometimes are anxious and always wondering if we have our children on the best team that fits them, and if we need to move them somewhere else..but we all need to relax, and just let the game and the children continue their development and letting them have fun. Don't make decisions, that you may possibly regret later on.

@ 7:57 am ~ "But, if you chase the wins and state cups now, you risk sacrificing long term success from developing an entire team of skilled players." ~ I don't personally agree with this stated opinion. I think teams should 'play to win', whether they lose/win. I think it's a great idea to participate in these high level tourneys and the State's NCS. Players are trained during their practice/training sessions during the week and come game time, will play. And not sure where your daughter plays, but a lot of the high level teams do move several of their players around, not all, but several. The players who aren't moved around, usually play other positions during friendlies, guesting, training sessions. So no matter what, players are getting other experiences to develop in other positions.

I do agree with your statement "Conversely, the small, fast strikers that score goals at the early ages, may struggle against bigger, tougher defenders at the older ages." I've seen this happen. And can be hard for those children, and their parents. This is where it can get tough and start causing issues between teammates, parents, coaches, ect.. Parents, most of all, look for excuses and wonder why their child isn't performing like they used to. The child and/or parents start getting envious of other players that are still performing well, and issues arise from all around. Parents can sometimes start to think, 'maybe I need to move my child off of this team'. But it's not necessary. Children hit plateaus. They'll get over them.

Sorry I am not an NJX parent. Last week there was a girl or 2 at my daughters training so I was just curious as to why. My daughter has been playing against you guys for a while and the few stood out. That's all! Good luck with your team.

@1:17. I'm actually not a parent of an NJX player but I just think that they are one of the great teams. I'm from Central/South, NJ not North. But wow, I wonder why players of NJX are looking at another team when we all play each other. Did you hear why they are looking to move? I'm just curious at this age, why players would be looking to move off of top teams.

and...look at a player on Florida State - -> where is she from - - >won't list her name, but you can do your research:

* Participated in the Player Development Academy (PDA) 2004-13.* Played on the Region I & II ODP teams (2007-08)...participated in winter camps in 2007.* Played with the North Jersey Valkyries of the W-League for two seasons.

I guess college is like youth soccer rankings. Just because you win by 1 or 2 goals against some same level teams and work yourself up in the NCAA to become finalists in the Championship game, doesn't mean you'll be ranked 2nd overall. Then again, are all ranking systems different in college as well??

You can measure development by College Commitments. A quick look at the 2015s on TDS show a ton of PDA and MF players committed. 3 from Greater Flemington (all D1). 1 from Wall (D1) and 1 from Copa (D3). Where are all the other players, teams, and clubs????

NJX is losing ground to most of the top teams - can't compete in top flight. Still a very solid town team. If you are top two or three, consider moving sooner than. MF not a good option, hopefully they will be down the road.

@817 Commitments are a great way to measure success. In NJ, there is PDA, MF, WC and FC Bucks leading the commitments for 2015. Stallions has quite a few (nice work), Yms has a few, Rush, and Copa, just one to DIII.

@11:09 Top drawer doesn't have all the commits though. I think it's up to the parents and child if they want to submit it to them for it to be listed. And not sure if you have to pay any sort of money for it?

10:31 I also thought the same thing. Can anyone on this blog explain or know how that works.

This will be helpful for the fact if your committing that early you can bypass your Jr./Sr. high school years to prevent injury and just play club. Also giving parents 2 years of financially to help prepare their child to prevent from borrowing additional loans because I'm sure it's only the .01% of those girls committed got full rides if any.

Also, someone mentioned about not chasing wins and state cups...WHY on earth not?? Many of these top teams are preparing their teams for this because if you win State Cup, you advance to Region 1 Championships. Even winning Region 1 Championship is preparing these girls and giving these girls better competition. Starting now at U13, if you win USYS Region 1 Championship then you move onto Nationals and play the top teams from everywhere! Who wouldn't want their child part of that? One NJ girl who plays for UVA (2nd place NCAA-D1 team 2014), played for FC Penn Strikers (NOT ECNL), who won Region 1 Championship before being able to move onto Nationals bc they were not in an old enough age bracket, then they won Region 1 again a couple times, went to Nationals, and won that also! She also participated in ODP at the State and Region level for NJ. People forget that if you are on a top playing team, they will get there! USYS will lead the way. You don't have to be in US Club soccer's leagues to get there. Play soccer at a high level, your child will grow as a player and get noticed later on. Both US Club and USYS both have ways for top teams to play top competition. Trained girls need to compete to win, to get to that next level.

This is a U12 blog, and the focus of many parents that come to this blog including myself, are focused on soccer at a top level and plan for the near future with our children. If you don't feel the same, don't hate---appreciate, and don't say anything about it. You can write whatever you feel that you want to as well and I'm sure someone will give you an answer to whatever it is you want to know about. If you feel that strongly about not seeing certain stuff that is posted on this blog, then you don't have to come on here and check it at all. Just saying.

my correction, was carried away, but not even sure if the UVA player's club team had actually WON the National Championship but they were in it..and look at that exposure for all teams who even make it there. And participating in ODP seems to also be beneficial.

i'm curious as to why region 1 odp head coach gets to be the 2002G head coach when his daughter and girls that he already knows get automatic bids to the region pool. he's a current u13 coach of his daughter's Eastern PA club team. I hate politics when it comes to youth sports.

Fc penn strikers only train one team at a time all the way up until they hit college. She was South Jersey and maybe that was the only good option for her in that time. Their current team is at the U15 age.

@447 u ddnt say that the team aint won a game all seson that team aint elite they last place in lowest brackt no devlopment their kick and run and no cant score. do you homework before think of going any where so u know

Everyone here is being sold on (BS) from the academy clubs. It’s all about developing your child right now u12-u14 to the best of their ability and then hope that she still wants to play by U14 and U15 when it really matters. ECNL, NPL and whatever acronym they come up next to impress or confuse parents hoping that they will jump on the next best thing for their child’s exposure. IN THE END what really matters are the connections your coach has with college recruits plus your child’s performance on the field, outstanding soccer skills, and knowledge of the game. It’s all about how well your child performs not the team or the league they are playing for. Save you money.

@11:10am - You speak about development at academy is BS. How are you supposed to have your daughter developing if she is not surrounded by equally or better players at practices, games, and tourneys.

The money being spent to what you call BS is to assure parents they have dedicated players around their daughter wanting the same thing. Yes you will have the 1 or 2 players that shine at town travel but when it comes down the line they end up falling behind because they are around non-dedicated players/parents.

The PDA's, Matchfits, etc. provide this competitive atmosphere throughout there programs keeps girls on there toes so they know where they are at by U14/U15.

"Anonymous said...@447 u ddnt say that the team aint won a game all seson that team aint elite they last place in lowest brackt no devlopment their kick and run and no cant score. do you homework before think of going any where so u knowDecember 15, 2014 at 10:03 AM"

Can anyone decipher this? I can't figure out who this is addressed to and what they are even referring to.

11:38am. The notion of how can my daughter develop if she isn't surrounded by better or equal players is nonsense. Soccer is a team sport but at this age it is the technical abilities being developed. Those can be worked on alone as well as in groups. A good coach will push the best players at training as well as the ones who are struggling. If your coach isn't doing that then i'd be concerned.

MF and PDA have notoriously mediocre coaches. You can be surrounded with greatness but if you're not being corrected how do you hope to improve? Its the equivalent of sitting next to Jimi Hendrix playing guitar and you trying to copy him with no instruction. Whereas you think you can just pick up the guitar and play because you're playing with Hendrix. Ludicrous.

@5:52 I was going to ask that same question. Every club has it's goods and bads I'm sure. But a club like PDA, I'm sure if the coach is 'eh' they'd get rid of them. I don't have my daughter at PDA, but I'd like to at least try and give her that option.

@11:38 - You are so blinded you can go ahead and believe that your daughter will continue to develop into the player you believe she will become practicing with girls not as equal or better. Yes a coach can challenge her but how does that look to other parents when a coach is focused on one player and others are not dedicated.

Thus the reason when U14/15 age arrive the landscape you will see will totally different PDA's, MachFits other Elite clubs will end up capturing and retaining the best players. Parents/players will be looking back saying what I believe that development comes from the individual passion but with her surrounds can influence it greatly(Good coaches, better players, club influences).

1:54pm I'm glad you are thinking in the right direction. If she is on the bottom 3rd and you know she has potential to be in the top third then a move is necessary soon. I would even look to see if teams are in need of players in the spring.

Players moving in the spring benefit more than the fall, because of other players that may possibly miss games due to other spring sports -(Softball, Lax) Your daughter may get the opportunity to receive more playing time to prove herself as well.

If you child truly wants to be a high level player keep her in the environment that will challenge her. Get her training with players that are better than her or older than her. Soccer is more about speed of play than size alone. Having a coach with a proven track record of development is more productive at this age and will allow your daughter to play anywhere on the field.

Please don't have your daughter be locked into one position at this time. Learning all the positions on the field will strengthen her game.

9:37am Very well said! It's like school if your child is overachieving at school do you think the teachers keep them in the same classes that's why there Honor's classes or level up classes to move kids into.

9:37 - You are on the money! No one has ever gotten better at something if they hang with the mediocre crowd. Only when challenged physically and mentally will you grow. And soccer is one of them. Playing and practicing with focused, committed and skilled players will definitely challenge your daughter's ability to achieve the next level.

7:01pm So what your saying is division 1 in EDP is the NPL bracket and if a local strong town team win's it they will go to the NPL Championship and the clubs that sponsor the EDP (i.e. Northeast NPL - PDA, World Class, Penn Fusion) are out. Why even sponsor the league if any team that is strong can go. This is the reason why ECNL is making a huge push to stay exclusive to specific clubs and strong players end up flocking to those clubs. NPL needs to model it also especially if clubs are sponsoring the league.

EDP is the only NPL league in the country not run by US Club (run by MAPS). All other NPL leagues have only fully committed clubs play in their NPL top division (just like ECNL). EDP just has what they feel are the best teams in the top divisions.

If a team wins the EDP league and isn't what they call a "core club" i don't believe they can represent the EDP league at Nationals. Instead it will be the core club who finished highest in the division. I could be wrong on that though so if anyone knows different then feel free to share!

@3:45: I wouldn't be surprised if there was such a rule for EDP but I hope not. If a team is good enough to compete - and win - it shouldn't matter. Those teams are paying to be in the league as well. Rules like that do nothing to help competition in general. Its like Cable companies having exclusive rights to provide service to an area - look how well thats worked out in terms of $$ you have to pay. Let everyone participate if they can compete - kids will have more opportunity and parents will have more options = less $$. The only ones that win the other way are the organizations that create the leagues and the various academies and pseudo academies that look to create the barriers to entry so that they can justify themselves and the $$ they charge to be a part of them.

Does anyone have a daughter that will be trying out for a team next season, that will eventually be part of the ECNL? If so, then why? (I am highly considering it for my daughter and want to assure it would be the right move)

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